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Cuba Faces Total Blackout, Cutting Power for 10 Million Residents Nationwide

Photo : AFP

A nationwide power outage struck Cuba on Friday, leaving all 10 million residents without electricity after a major power plant failed, as confirmed by the country’s energy ministry. By Friday evening, officials announced that power had been restored to about 20,000 residents in the capital, Havana, which has a population of around 2 million.

Power outages have plagued Cuba for years and have significantly worsened in recent months. The situation had escalated to a critical point in the preceding days, prompting the government to implement measures aimed at conserving energy. On Thursday evening, officials announced the closure of schools and advised most state workers to stay home on Friday to help reduce electricity consumption. Despite these efforts, a failure at the Antonio Guiteras thermoelectric plant—Cuba’s largest power plant—occurred around 11 a.m. on Friday, resulting in a widespread grid failure.

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The island’s aging infrastructure has long been a source of frustration, leading to frequent outages exacerbated by maintenance challenges and a lack of fuel. In many provinces outside of Havana, residents have been enduring blackouts lasting up to 20 hours at a time.

Cuba’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, emphasized on social media platform X that solving the electricity crisis remains an “absolute priority,” assuring citizens that there would be “no rest” until power was fully restored. Prime Minister Manuel Marrero attributed the ongoing blackouts to the deteriorating state of infrastructure, fuel shortages, and rising electricity demand from the population.

While the demand for electricity has surged, the supply of oil has sharply declined. Venezuela, Cuba’s principal oil supplier and ally, has reduced the volume of shipments to the island, while oil imports from other nations, such as Russia and Mexico, have also seen significant decreases.

As of Friday, authorities were unable to specify how long it would take to restore power to the entire island. Though Cubans are accustomed to regular blackouts, the scale of this outage has shaken many. Walking through a neighborhood in Havana, residents expressed alarm and concern. One local described the situation as feeling like the country had hit “the bottom of the barrel.”

“This is incredible,” said a Havana resident who wished to remain anonymous. “I don’t see a solution to this problem.” Another resident in Old Havana voiced her fears that the situation could deteriorate further, stating, “It really worries me that we may not yet be at the bottom of this electricity crisis.”

The Cuban government has long attributed the island's economic challenges to the decades-old U.S. embargo, which it claims hampers access to fuel and spare parts necessary for maintaining power plants. The embargo intensified under former President Donald Trump, while the COVID-19 pandemic severely impacted the tourism sector, a vital revenue stream for Cuba’s state-controlled economy. The resulting economic turmoil has led to widespread shortages of food, medicine, and fuel, exacerbating the daily struggles faced by the Cuban population.

Oct. 19, 2024 5:10 p.m. 431

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